Truthdig Publisher Zuade Kaufman and Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer were awarded Best News Website Exclusive to the Internet. It was a particular honor to be recognized on our home turf, as Truthdig has always been international in scope with roots in L.A.

The judges who chose Truthdig from the pool of nominees offered this description, which emcee Charles Shaughnessy read: “Insightful, timely writing, without pulling any punches. Very good, no-nonsense design—and an impressive lineup of contributors.”

Truthdig was also nominated for Best Online Blog, and columnist Chris Hedges won second prize in the Political Column/Commentary category for his piece “The Play’s the Thing.”

Maria Shriver, Ann Curry and Michael Bloomberg were given top billing as high-profile honorees from the mainstream media. NBC’s Curry paid tribute to journalistic ideals in her speech, pointing out that “reporting will only be as strong as the wall between journalism and advertising.”

But the big names weren’t the main draw, as a range of outlets—from college publications to Hollywood trades to Spanish-language sources to local stalwarts such as LA Weekly and KCET—also got in on the act, earning accolades and representing the area’s array of interests, communities and voices. That was really the story of the night.